Yumiko Higuchi

Ph. D. in Science, Associate Professor

Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University

Hirano 2-509-3, Otsu, Shiga 520-2113 JAPAN

higuchi.yumiko.6j [at] kyoto-u.ac.jp

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Research Interests

I am interested in the ecology and evolution of plant morphology, with a focus on leaf shape and color. Since my time as a PhD student, I have been investigating the effects of leaf shape, particularly in relation to leaf-rolling weevils as a constructed material. Recently, I have also become interested in leaf color, and I am exploring how this coloration functions in plants from various perspectives, including biological interactions and photosynthesis.

Keywords

plant ecology and evolution, plant-animal interaction, plant morphology, leaf shape and color, insect behavior, animal vision, leaf-rolling weevils, Isodon plants (Lamiaceae)

Education

2010.4 - 2014.3 Bachelor in Agriculture, Kyoto University (Weed Science, Dr. Yoshiko Shimono, Prof. Tohru Tominaga)

2014.4 - 2016.3 Master in Agriculture, Kyoto University (Weed Science, Dr. Yoshiko Shimono, Prof. Tohru Tominaga)

2016.4 - 2020.3 Ph. D. in Science, Kyoto University (Prof. Atsushi Kawakita, Prof. Shoko Sakai）

Professional Positions

2016.4 - 2018.3 Part-time lecturer, Syusei Technical College, Japan

2018.4 - 2020.3 JSPS Research Fellow (DC2), Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Japan

2020.4 - 2021.5 JSPS Research Fellow (PD), Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Japan

2021.6 - 2024.3 Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo University, Japan

2024.4 - present Associate Professor, The Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Japan

Interaction between leaf shape and leaf-processing insects

The shapes of plant leaves are diverse, but how do they function in nature? Does leaf shape influence insect herbivory?

Many herbivorous insects not only consume leaves but also process them to improve their harsh surrounding environments. The physical shape of leaves may hinder these insects' ability to process them. My research investigates how leaf shape affects a group of leaf-processing insects known as leaf-rolling weevils (Attelabidae, Coleoptera). Female leaf-rolling weevils roll up entire leaves to lay their eggs, creating leaf rolls that serve as both food and shelter for their offspring.

I focus on the weevil species Apoderus praecellens and one of its host plants, Isodon umbrosus var. hakusanensis (Lamiaceae), which features exceptionally lobed leaves. I discovered that the lobed shape of these leaves interferes with female weevils' ability to construct leaf rolls. Typically, female leaf-rolling weevils perform inspectional walking on the leaf surface to assess its suitability for rolling and to identify a cutting point before processing. Observations revealed that females often pause to construct leaf rolls during inspectional walking (Higuchi & Kawakita, 2019).

A female Apoderus praecellens　rolling a leaf of Isodon trichocarpus

Left: Isodon umbrosus var. hakusanensis

Right: Boehmeria silvestrii

Boehmeria silvestrii (Urticaceae) has a leaf shape similar to that of Isodon umbrosus var. hakusanensis. Another species of leaf-rolling weevil, Phymatapoderus pavens, uses this plant species. Interestingly, females of this weevil species can adapt to using highly lobed leaves by processing a portion of B. silvestrii leaves. They also produce different types of leaf rolls depending on the leaf shape of B. silvestrii (Higuchi & Kawakita, 2022).

The habit of processing leaves is known in several insect taxa. For insects that process leaves, leaf shape may be an overlooked yet important factor in their host plant selection.

Publications *Corresponding Author

1．Yumiko Higuchi*, Yoshiko Shimono, Tohru Tominaga (2017) The expansion route of ryegrasses (Lolium spp.) into sandy coasts in Japan. Invasive Plant Science and Management 10: 61-71. https://doi.org/10.1017/inp.2017.

2．Yumiko Higuchi*, Yoshiko Shimono, Tohru Tominaga (2019) Reproductive biology and genetic population structure of two alien Lolium species inhabiting the sandy coasts of Japan. Plant Species Biology 34: 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1111/1442-1984.12235

3．Yumiko Higuchi*, Atsushi Kawakita (2019) Leaf shape deters plant processing by an herbivorous weevil. Nature Plants 5: 959–964. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-019-0505-x

4．Yumiko Higuchi*, Atsushi Kawakita (2022) Shape-dependent leaf manipulation in a leaf rolling weevil Phymatapoderus pavens (Coleoptera: Attelabidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 136:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blac016

5. Momoko Hirata, Yumiko Higuchi, Ayumi Matsuo, Mitsuhiko P Sato, Yoshihisa Suyama, Takako Kiyoshi, Akihiro Konuma, Tohru Tominaga, Yoshiko Shimono* (2023) Introduction pathways and evolutionary mechanisms of alien species of Lolium spreading across sandy coasts in Japan. Journal of Ecology https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14206

6. Yumiko Higuchi*, Minako Takegami, Masumi Yamanaka (2024) 1113. Stachyurus macrocarpus Koidz. var. prunifolius Tuyama. Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 41(3), 359–368. https://doi.org/10.1111/curt.12587